About Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

News

For the Media

The Department of Marketing and Communications at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is responsible for all official contact with local and national media (including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and online news sites) who seek information about the hospital, its staff and/or patients. The department welcomes inquiries and story ideas from members of the press and will do its best to accommodate requests for interviews, videotape sessions or photography.

For assistance, members of the media should call:

Marketing and Communications Department: 201.894.3524

Jessica Griffin, Public Relations Specialist: 201.894.3912

The Department is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you need to speak to a member of the department after hours, please call the main number at 201-894-3000 and ask the operator to contact the public relations contact person on call.

On-duty reporters/photographers are not permitted within the hospital without the permission of the Marketing and Communications Department. Reporters and photographers not escorted by a member of the department will be immediately escorted from the building.

Videotaping and interviewing without the department's involvement is only permitted off the hospital campus (outside the hospital buildings and beyond hospital property from the street). However, media will be asked to leave the premises if found to be interfering with patient care or routine hospital business.

News vehicles may not park in fire lanes or block driveways. Valet or visitor parking arrangements should be coordinated in advance through the Marketing and Communications Department.

Patient consent is required and should be secured prior to any videotaping or photographing.

The news team will agree to stop taping, photographing, or interviewing at any time upon the request of the patient, physician, nursing staff, hospital security staff or a staff member of the Marketing and Communications Department.

News Media Patient Information Requests
Federal law (HIPAA) and regulations regarding the release of patient information by hospitals and health providers are followed stringently at Englewood Hospital. These regulations specify how information may be released to the media.

The hospital is responsible for asking a patient for consent to release general condition information (directory information) and to whom that information will be disclosed. Patients have the option of stating that they do not want information released at all, including confirmation of their presence in the facility. If the patient requests that no information be released, the hospital must honor that request.

No information on a patient's condition may be released unless the name of the patient is provided by the requestor. A hospital may not release the names of patients.

Under HIPAA regulations, matters of public record (those situations that are by law reportable to public authorities such as police, coroner, or public health officials), victims of accidents have the same privacy rights as all other patients. Media calls requesting patient information will be answered with a patient status condition as outlined below.

Patient Status
Unless the patient has expressed otherwise and opted out of releasing any information, only the following conditions will be released:

Under Evaluation - Patient undergoing assessment.

Good - Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. The patient is conscious and comfortable (indicators are excellent).

Fair - Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. The patient is conscious and comfortable (indicators are favorable).

Poor - Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. (Indicators are questionable.)

Critical - Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. The patient may be unconscious (indicators are unfavorable).

Treated and Released - Received treatment but not admitted.

Treated and transferred - Received treatment. Transferred to a different facility.

Special Cases
No information regarding treatment for psychiatric conditions, substance abuse, or any other sensitive conditions or circumstances will be released. Special discretion will be used when releasing information regarding minors, victims of sexual assault and attempted suicide.